Pražský hrad is facing four major repairs costing almost 140 million crowns

Prague - This year, four major repairs worth almost 140 million crowns are planned for the Prague Castle. The external facades from Jelení příkop, the Riding School, and the Luděk Wing of the Old Royal Palace will be reconstructed. Investment will also go into St. Vitus Cathedral. A total of repairs worth about 292 million crowns are planned for this year, said David Šebek, spokesman for the Administration of Prague Castle, to ČTK. Prague Castle is the most visited monument in the capital. Last year, it welcomed 1.7 million visitors.
    The largest planned investment is the repair of the castle's facades from the Foundry Courtyard to the Southern Honorary Wing. "The aim of the project is to restore and repair a large portion of the castle's external facade - from the Jelení příkop through the IV and I courtyards to the southern wing above the entrance to the southern gardens," the spokesman described.
    Craftsmen will remove non-original coatings from the facade, repair plaster, and repaint with lime colors. Carpentry, locksmith, and plumbing elements will also be repaired, as well as refurbished original lights, known as Plečnik's eyes. The roofing on most wings of the new palace will be replaced. The administration estimates the costs at 55.6 million crowns.
    Repairs are also expected for the plaster of the Luděk Wing of the Old Royal Palace. For 20 million crowns, the facades, including elements made of stone, bricks, plaster, as well as sheet metal and locksmith elements, will be reconstructed. The reconstruction of the Riding School in Pohořelec for 44 million crowns is also expected to be completed this year. Storage spaces and a depository for the art collections of Prague Castle will be created there.
    Investments will also be made this year in St. Vitus Cathedral. For roofing repairs, window glass replacement, rosettes, and internal chapel repairs, 17.8 million crowns are planned. In the chapel's interiors, it is necessary to repair the stone jointing, restore wall paintings, tombstones, and altars, and replace damaged stone elements.
    Of the planned 292 million crowns for repairs at the castle, 43 million comes from the state budget, while the remaining approximately 249 million crowns is covered by revenues from tourist operations and other activities of the Administration of Prague Castle.
    According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest continuous castle complex in the world. It covers an area of almost 70,000 m² and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    The castle consists of an extensive complex of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings in various architectural styles - from Romanesque buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century and interventions by Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik from the period of the First Republic to the latest modifications from the end of the 20th century.
    The Administration of Prague Castle also manages the castle in Lány, where the Palm Greenhouse is being restored. The reconstruction began last year and is expected to cost about 20 million crowns. In addition to the historical structures of the greenhouse, its heating, ventilation, and electrical installations need to be repaired.